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smitaraghavan
Reviews
Badhaai Do (2022)
Funny, feel good
A good plot line. Some great funny moments, courageous content. Are there many actors in Bollywood who might be okay to even depict a gay character? Rao is commendable.
Gehraiyaan (2022)
Absolute rubbish!
What was this nonsense! I like one of the songs. That's about it! Naseeruddin Shah is placed in cameo to deceive the audience as he represents some quality. Siddharth Chaturvedi, Deepika are both disappointing.
Minnal Murali (2021)
Fun watch - a light hearted superhero movie
I enjoyed this one. Twinning nature of good and evil well depicted by the two actors. I particularly liked the performance of Guru as Shibu. The characterisation of the chubby nephew as the mentor to his superhero mama was really cute. The whole cultural mood and atmosphere of a small village in Kerala wonderful! Even in this fantasy tale, like many Malayalam movies, this one too sticks to realism while narrating the story of two underdogs accidentally finding superpowers.
Artist (2013)
Well narrated, engaging
This was an interesting watch. The plot is narrated well and it remains engaging throughout. Artists are intellectuals and sensitive people but they can also be insensitive and cruel towards the people in their lives. Great performances by the lead actors.
Dangal (2016)
So inspiring!
Inspired by a true story, this one is a fun watch. A much needed social message along with entertainment.
Bellbottom (2021)
Absolute waste of time!
This was a total waste of time! No coherent plot. Biographies are usually interesting and inspiring. A story is ready but it still needs a good narrator and some acting. This was a total disappointment on all fronts.
Malik (2021)
Such a typical Don story
Good cast. Great direction. But nothing else in here. Such a typical Don story. Very similar to the Hindi movies - Dayavan and Agneepath. This one did not meet my expectations at all.
Planet of the Humans (2019)
Courageous and specific
The documentary unmasks the lies and green washing of Big corporations and Governments. It focuses on the marriage of environmentalism and capitalism that pushes the human race to doom. It also strips the delusion that most humans succumb to when offered easy solution. We easily accept superfluous solution without investigating and asking relevant and necessary questions. The documentary names specific people and corporations involved. Bravo!
Climate crisis has no easy solution. Controlling population and human greed may help at this stage.
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (2020)
Disappointing- Rushed, shallow and lacks courage
I was waiting in anticipation to watch this documentary. I am an Attenborough fan and have watched all his documentaries. Because I admire his work I placed my expectations high. I just wish it had said more, encouraged more, targeted some key areas of development in a specific manner.
The documentary is a rushed account of our current state. The focus, I felt, from the trailers would be on solutions. But it swiftly moves through to meet a time limit.
That renders it superficial. What it presents is common knowledge. Great visuals as usual though. I expected it to be insightful. Empowering individuals with the courage to act and showing them how. Clearly Specifically targeting Industries like fashion, food, the luxury cruise are imperative in the discussion of climate change and behavioural changes that are necessary to bring about this shift. Promoting conscious consumerism to individuals is essential for the well-being of the planet. It merely scratched the surface.
Generic and broad comments avoided targeting specific corporations and governments. A more courageous work would have been groundbreaking. The powerful need to be convinced and coerced into adapting ways that promote a positive impact.
A voice and persona like Attenborough could have made a grand impact. I felt that was sorely missed.
Judgementall Hai Kya (2019)
Gripping and thoroughly entertaining
Great great editing, direction and acting.
The plot line has a few lapses if you think about it later, but watch this movie for its thriller quality and awesome performance by Kangana and Rajkumar Rao. The pace and suspense is maintained till the end.
What amazes me is the skewed up point I see - 6.5. No way!
Lucifer (2019)
Formula story Shatters expectations.
What a star cast Prithviraj has roped in! The marketing and the reviews that this movie received led me to invest my time in this. Clearly wasted time and attention! The only rationale could be to make a commercial hit that allows the investors to go dancing to their banks.
This is a typical run of the mill Lalettan - the big brother, the saviour sort of movie that condones even endorses smuggling (how else does Stephen (MohanLal come to acquire all that power, money and the boys a la Black cats led a la the Illuminati by Zaid (swayam Prithviraj). This is melodramatic silly commercial formulaic banter that reminds you of a slew of Godfather style of movies that Mohanlal did in the 90s. Same plot. Fully predictable. For the masses.
As a result there is nothing left for the actors to do than to just be. What a waste of all that talent there! Particularly of a phenomenal actor like Manju Warrier who is sidelined and subjected to the dismal damsel in distress role. Of course all the good fellas are ultimately saved by the devil himself - Lucifer.
Sudani from Nigeria (2018)
Extremely disappointing!
Encouraged by the rating and after reading a few reviews I decided to watch this movie with great expectations. I cannot explain the stellar reviews that I can see here though. Are we talking about the same movie?
It's slow, nothing happens. Oh too much human generosity and kindness. Nothing real about it! The plot has many unexplained unconnected strings. Overall, this left me with a feeling of time wasted.